The Facts and History of Cinco de Mayo

It's Not Mexican Independence Day

Cinco de Mayo is probably one of the most celebrated and least understood holidays in the world. What is the meaning behind it? How is it celebrated and what does it mean to Mexicans?

It's not a celebration of Mexico's independence as many people think. Rather, it is an important day in Mexican history, and the holiday has true meaning and importance. Let's get the facts straight about Cinco de Mayo.

 Isn’t It Mexico’s Independence Day? 

Another common misconception is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day. In actuality, Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain on September 16. It is a very important holiday in the country and not to be confused with Cinco de Mayo.

It was on September 16, 1810, that Father Miguel Hidalgo took to his pulpit in the village church of the town of Dolores. He invited his flock to take up arms and join him in overthrowing Spanish tyranny. This famous speech would be celebrated as the Grito de Dolores, or "The Cry of Dolores," from then on.

How Big of a Deal Is Cinco de Mayo?

Cinco de Mayo is a big deal in Puebla, where the famous battle took place. However, it really isn't as important as most people think. Independence Day on September 16 has much more significance in Mexico.

For some reason, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States — by Mexicans and Americans alike — than it is in Mexico. There is one theory for why this is true.

At one time, Cinco de Mayo was widely celebrated in all of Mexico and by Mexicans living in former Mexican territories, such as Texas and California. After a while, it was ignored in Mexico but the celebrations continued north of the border where people never got out of the habit of remembering the famous battle.

It's interesting to note that the largest Cinco de Mayo party takes place in Los Angeles, California. Every year, the people of Los Angeles celebrate “Festival de Fiesta Broadway” on May 5th (or on the closest Sunday). It’s a large, raucous party with parades, food, dancing, music, and more. Hundreds of thousands attend annually. It’s even bigger than the festivities in Puebla.

Cinco de Mayo Celebration

In Puebla and in many U.S. cities with large Mexican populations, there are parades, dancing, and festivals. Traditional Mexican food is served or sold. Mariachi bands fill town squares and a lot of Dos Equis and Corona beers are served.

It’s a fun holiday, really more about celebrating the Mexican way of life than about remembering a battle that happened over 150 years ago. It is sometimes referred to as a “Mexican St. Patrick’s Day.”

In the U.S., schoolchildren do units on the holiday, decorate their classrooms, and try their hand at cooking some basic Mexican foods. All over the world, Mexican restaurants bring in Mariachi bands and offer specials for what’s almost certain to be a packed house.​

Cinco de Mayo is important because it's a celebration of Indigenous Mexican people against European colonizers. Unfortunately, this holiday has been commercialized by the U.S. and its anti-colonial meaning has been ignored. In America, the holiday has also been used to highlight racist caricatures about Mexican people.

Ferdinand Magellan, and Hernando Cortés above the doors and windows of the room; personifications of the depicted countries and parts of the earth; and in a frieze, depictions of the celestial legends with which the ancients had explained the creation of the twelve signs of the zodiac.

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